The printed version isn't due out until October 2009, so I decided to satiate my curiosity by perusing its somewhat basic but ultimately effective web site. The home page for the Historical Thesaurus of English offers a lexicographical smorgasbord for word lovers of every variety. The book is divided into three major sections: The External World, The Mind, and Society with each section further broken down into a panoply of smaller categories. The interesting and varied taxonomy is sure to produce many librarian "ooh" and "ahh" moments.

The synonym search function is incredibly robust and a heck of a lot of fun. I spent more time than I care to admit looking up synonyms for terms as illustrious as "bogus" (suppository, pasteboard, mock-made ), "smelly" (reechy, stinkardly, puant) and "petulant" (nervy, snouty, effrontuous). What can I say? Not only is the Historical Thesaurus Of The Oxford English Dictionary destined to become a classic in the annals of reference materials, it's also destined by provide hours of good clean semantic fun.

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